A Very Unexpected Letter
by 123-say-cheese
Summary: Dudley's son, Rodney receives a very special letter. Who knew that a son's dream come true could also be his father's worst nightmare?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and I am not getting paid for this, etc, etc.

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A Very Unexpected Letter

Chapter One

-

Dudley Dursley gazed down at the neat, straight to-the-point letter he held in his hand, utter shock written all over his pale, chubby face. His hands were shaking; his legs felt as thought they were going to collapse beneath him; and droplets of sweat were starting to trickle away down the back of his neck. He could not believe what he was seeing.

-

Dudley numbly stumbled over to the kitchen and dropped the letter on the worktop, sitting himself down onto a stool next to it. His wife took one look at him and dropped the cloth she was cleaning the dishes with and ran to his side.

"Dudley, what's wrong?" She asked.

Dudley muttered useless words until he finally gave up and pointed to the letter on the counter. His wife, whose name was Emily, warily picked up the letter in her tiny, delicate hands and proceeded to read it aloud,

"Dear Mr and Mrs Dursley," she read. "We are delighted to inform you that your son, Rodney Jack Dursley, has been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

She paused and frowned at the letter.

"We never entered him for a school called Hogwarts," she said, confused.

"Just carry on," Dudley croaked.

"As Mr Dursley is of a Muggle-born descent, a teacher from Hogwarts or a Ministry of Magic official will be sent tomorrow at precisely eleven in the morning. Everything will be explained thoroughly. Mary Lamb, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

-

It was half an hour after the opening of that fateful letter that Dudley and Emily were sat in the living room. Emily was gaping at Dudley, completely flabbergasted.

"Your cousin, Harry Potter, the one with black hair and glasses who came to our wedding, is…is…" she whispered.

Dudley nodded weakly.

"That's why dear Rodders has been doing weird stuff all these years?"

Dudley nodded again.

"You knew?" Emily demanded.

"I guessed. I hoped I was wrong," Dudley said hoarsely.

"Why? This is brilliant!" Emily declared.

Dudley stared at his wife as though she had just sprouted fangs.

"Rodney has never fitted in here. You know that. Now he'll finally get a chance at this Hogwarts place."

Dudley closed his eyes. This was not, _could not_, be happening. How could his wife even agree with this? He had been brought up to believe that magic was evil. He had spent half his childhood trying to squash the magic out of his cousin and now his own _son_ had been landed with the 'supernatural' gene. It was altogether too much to take in and Dudley closed his eyes and tried to block out his wife's ramblings. This was not possible. She kept asking him questions.

"_Women,_" he muttered angrily.

He just prayed that this was nothing more than a really, really bad dream.

**

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****A/N** Hope you enjoyed it! I know it was really short and the next one will definitely be longer.

Please review! Tell me if I should carry on because I don't want to write something if no one if going to read it! So any praise, constructive crit, anything! Send this way please! :D


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N **Hey! This is the second chapter. Hope you enjoy!

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Chapter Two

-

There was a great ringing sound as Dudley's alarm buzzed impatiently at him; loud enough to wake the whole household. He slammed his fist down on the clock.

"…Bloody clock…hate it…stupid…" he grumbled.

"Dad! Mum!"

Dudley's breath immediately left him as his eleven year old son pounced on him causing Emily to shriek in surprise.

"Get up! Today that person from the school is going to come! We have to get ready!"

Rodney proceeded to scramble of the bed and scamper into his bedroom. Dudley groaned and sat up. He had shown the acceptance letter to his son yesterday and was regretting it. Rodney had been bouncing of walls since. Literally. Those underage wizards did plenty of bizarre things. He contemplated what would have happened if he had not told his son or his wife and let the witch or wizard coming explain all. He instantly dismissed the little fantasy. Not only would his son pound him to the ground (why on earth had he decided to teach him how to box?) his wife would murder him - bring him back to life – then murder him again.

-

Dudley was finally ready after showering, dressing himself and eating breakfast and had managed to catch a repeat of his favourite TV show before his son had wrestled the remote off him and switched to the sport channels.

-

It was two minutes to eleven and Dudley was sweating buckets. He was pretty sure that he could wring his suit and have enough liquid for two glasses. Rodney and Emily were at ease – they even looked excited! Dudley could not believe how they could be so happy at a time like this. He remembered how once a wizarding family, all with red hair, had ruined his living room and left his father's face permanently purple. He had never recovered from that 'incident'. He had no idea how the person would arrive but he prayed it wasn't by fireplace. It was bad enough that his father was purple – he didn't want to become purple too.

"One minute to go," Rodney called.

Dudley's heart skipped a beat and he fearfully hurried into the kitchen to get himself a glass of water. He instinctively put his hand on his backside; he could still feel the bump from when he had had his tail removed. He pushed the thought out of his mind. That was something he had vowed to himself to _never_ think about again.

-

_Knock, knock._

Dudley squeaked and jumped out of his chair. He seized his wife and held her in front of him like a shield.

"Don't be silly, Dudley," she chided. "Go and answer the door."

Dudley dazedly forced his feet to move and pull him forward. He numbly opened the door. And his jaw dropped.

-

Standing before him was none other than his own cousin.

"Hey, Dudley. How are things? It's been a long time."

Dudley gawped at him unbelieving.

"You might want to close your mouth – because of the flies and all."

Dudley snapped his mouth shut as the man standing opposite him grinned.

"What is taking so long?" Emily walked round the corner muttering.

She saw who Dudley had opened the door to and was struck dumb. However, she recovered quickly and immediately graced her features with a smile.

"Mr Potter-"

"Please, call me Harry," he interrupted.

She smiled. "Alright, Harry, please do come in."

She guided him into the living room and offered him some tea – all the while firmly gripping Dudley's arm and leading him into the room as well.

"Pull yourself together," she hissed as she left to make the tea.

Dudley took a deep breath and tried to ignore the shock of seeing his cousin again.

"Rodney, this is your uncle Harry," Dudley said. "You won't remember him. The last time you met him you were only a baby."

Rodney shook Harry's hand and stared at him in awe.

"I didn't know you worked at Hogwarts."

"Oh, I don't," Harry laughed.

"Then you must work in the Ministry of Magic," Rodney concluded.

"Yeah. I'm the Head of the Auror Department. That's like law enforcement – like the police," Harry explained.

"Wow," Rodney whispered as his mother brought in the tea. "What is the Ministry of Magic?"

Harry sipped his tea. "That is the sort of thing you will find out at Hogwarts. That is…" here he glanced at Dudley sheepishly. "…if your parents wish you to go to the school."

"Oh, of course, we've already decided that, haven't we dear?" Emily turned to Dudley.

"Um…well…"

Dudley still was not sure about this. He had been trained all his childhood to hate magic and this was just too weird. He saw his wife give him a death glare and he decided that they would have to discuss this later. But for now he'd pretend that everything was fine.

"Sure."

Harry smiled. "Good, good. Well now," he turned back to Rodney. "It's not only magic that you will learn at Hogwarts. There's history, wizarding culture and so much more. And you will learn so many things from your classmates. Everyone has such different backgrounds because magic isn't about how much money you have or who your family is or anything like that – although some will try to convince you otherwise."

Harry smirked. At that moment, his face was full of emotion. Dudley had never seen Harry like this. It was as though he had been transported back to his school days.

"It's great," Harry said. "It honestly is. So, Rodney, ask me anything."

-

After what Dudley felt _must_ have been at least two full weeks of questions, Rodney suddenly went shy.

"What is it, Rodders?" Emily asked.

Dudley blanched and furtively glanced at Harry when Emily said 'Rodders'. He was sure Harry was getting flashbacks of Dudley's mother calling him 'Dudders'. And by the barely visible smirk on his cousin's face Dudley could conclude that he suspicions were correct.

"Well, what if I don't make any friends?" Rodney asked.

"You will, trust me," Harry assured. "All three of my kids already go to Hogwarts. They will look after you. James is a prefect this year," Harry snorted. "So he _should_ keep you out of trouble. Albus will be in his fourth year and Lily will be in her third. She'll definitely make sure no one bothers you. Her mother taught her the Bat Bogey Hex which she has, unfortunately, got quite good at." He scowled.

The Dursley family stared at him in bewilderment.

"You'll see," he promised. "Oh, you'll definitely see."

Rodney shrugged off the slightly grave comment and asked another question.

"Will I be any good at magic? My parents can't do any."

"Yes," Emily agreed. "Will he be treated the same even though he's a…a…_mubble_?"

"A _muggle_ and yes he will be fine. The cleverest witch of my generation – and one of my best friends – has no magical relations. You will be fine."

Harry looked the clock on the mantelpiece and his eyes widened. He stood up.

"It's getting late. I really should leave now."

"Wait!" Emily cried.

Dudley glared at her. Why was she making him stay longer than absolutely necessary?

"Where do I buy all this equipment from?" She thrust the uniform list in Harry's face pointing at it frantically.

"Ah…of course. Can I meet all three of you at 11:00 in King's Cross Station on the 18th?"

Before Dudley got a chance to open his mouth Emily cut in.

"We'll be there."

Dudley felt sick. He hadn't seen the uniform list yet and had just caught a glimpse of the words 'wand' and 'owl'.

"Oh, and one more thing."

Dudley broke out of reverie to look at Harry.

"Most people want to see some magic as proof that Hogwarts and everything with it actually exists. This is called Disappartion." He looked at Rodney. "You learn how to do this in your second-to-last year at Hogwarts. It is a method of transportation. Bye…for now." He grinned.

And with a swift turn and a loud crack, Dudley's cousin disappeared.

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**A/N **Hope you enjoyed reading the chapter. Please review and tell me what you thought! Not sure when the next chapter should be up because school is starting again after the holidays so I won't have much time to write. Hopefully, it shouldn't be too long though!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N **Hello! This is chapter three. I hope you enjoy it!

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Chapter Three

It was the morning of August 18th and Dudley was driving his family to King's Cross Station. Rodney and Emily were chatting animatedly. It was as if Dudley's wife was just as excited as Rodney was. All the conversations that had taken place over the last few days had centered on Hogwarts and magic. Dudley could not believe that he had got so caught up in all this 'hocus pocus'. He was feeling very uneasy. He hadn't had the heart to tell his parents that their only grandchild was akin to the nephew that they detested so. He knew how his father would react and thanked the Lord that he himself was nothing like his father – or his mother for that matter. He had also delayed that little talk he had to have with his wife and son about how he didn't want Rodney to go to that _school_.

Procrastinator? Not him.

He snorted. He had delayed it mostly because he knew that they would kill him in the most torturous way possible just for breaching the subject. He was stuck in a hole and had no way to get out.

-

They hadn't waited long at King's Cross before Harry strolled up to them, hands in his pockets, looking completely at ease. This annoyed Dudley. How could his cousin be so calm and collected when he, Dudley, was in turmoil?

"Are you all ready? Excited, Rodney?" Harry said.

Rodney nodded eagerly.

"We're going to buy all the stuff that was on your uniform list. Did you bring the list?"

Rodney nodded and pulled it out of his pocket.

"Here we go then."

-

Dudley did not know where Harry was leading them but he felt it could be nowhere good. He was having visions of his childhood and his phobia of all things paranormal and unexplained was returning so fast it almost winded him. He remembered all the years that weird things had happened to him in Harry's presence. All those times in primary school and then the summer holidays after Harry started Hogwarts. First, when he was eleven and he got shot on his bum which resulted in his tail. He remembered the time when he was twelve and Harry escaped his bedroom with a flying blue car driven by three teenagers. And when he was thirteen, his Aunt Marge had been blown up and had floated away. Of course, when he was fourteen his fireplace had exploded because of Harry's best friend and his family. And unforgettably, the time when he was fifteen and everything went dark and his worst fears were realized. He shuddered. That was one time he _would not _reflect on. But he could remember at the age of sixteen, a man with a huge silver beard had brought in an ugly creature into Dudley's home. It had rolled on the floor screaming and when Harry told it to shut up it had rolled on the floor miming. And finally, when he was seventeen, he and his family had had to evacuate their house and were guarded by witches and wizards for a whole year before they were allowed to live life normally. Dudley looked at his cousin who was chatting with Rodney and wondered how much he could actually trust him.

-

"So here we are."

Dudley looked up. They were looking at two shops that he normally saw in town. There was nothing special about this place.

"What are you talking about? What's so different about these two shops?" Dudley asked.

Harry shook his head impatiently. "Look closer."

Dudley narrowed his eyes and suddenly, the two shops seemed to get further apart and a tiny black door appeared which slowly got larger. Emily gasped and Dudley felt an unwelcome jerk in his stomach. Was Harry going to take them in there? Dudley felt there were quite a few flaws in this plan. How were they going to get all Rodney's equipment from that dodgy little place?

"Come on," Emily urged.

Dudley realized he was standing staring at the door while the others were going inside. He made sure that no one around him was looking at him before he entered.

-

As soon as Dudley entered the little pub or whatever that place was he was surrounded by cigar fumes and eyes bored into him from every corner. Or so he thought. In actual fact, every eye was looking at Harry and the fumes were coming from an old warlock in the corner with a frothing drink.

"It's Harry Potter!"

"Nice to meet you, Mr Potter."

"Would you like a drink, Harry?"

Dudley could not understand why every person in the dingy room had suddenly stood up and crowded around his cousin, shaking his hand, patting his back and praising him. Suddenly, a tall, red headed man pushed through the crowd and thumped Harry arm.

"Hey, Harry! Bit early in the morning for you to be here isn't it?"

"I'm here with my cousin and his family, Ron," Harry said, rubbing his arm.

"Oh right. I was just going to head over to Diagon Alley. Rose wants some new books. She's too much like her mother that one," he said rolling his eyes. "Are you taking them to Diagon Alley? I'll come with you."

Ron looked at Dudley and something clicked in his expression. Suddenly, Dudley recognized him. Of course! He was his cousin's best friend. He had seen him on numerous occasions. He had a huge family of red headed siblings too. 'They were all fireplace-busters' he thought remembering the broken state of his old living room. Dudley remembered clearly now.

"Dudley, meet Ron. Ron, Dudley," Harry said.

Ron held out a hand which Dudley took cautiously.

"Nice to meet you."

Dudley grunted in return. He still wasn't sure about these wizards.

-

After about ten minutes, Ron and Harry had managed to shake off a woman who seemed to be madly in love with Harry and had escaped out of the back door with the Dursley family.

"My gosh!" Emily exclaimed. "Is that normal?"

Harry coughed, embarrassed. But Ron answered for him.

"Yeah, completely normal. He's a living legend. I can't believe you don't know. He frequently gets people throwing themselves at his feet."

Harry blushed. "You make it seem like I enjoy it."

"Mate, I think it's obvious you hate the fame."

Dudley gazed at Harry in wonderment. He hadn't realized Harry was famous. He had seen other people act something like this to Harry before but had thought that was just what they did. How much more did he not know about his cousin?

Dudley abruptly realized that he had missed out on the conversation and now Harry was tapping the wall with a stick in his hand - _his wand_. Dudley took a few subtle steps backwards. Seeing that wand again that had been pointed in his face so many times before was almost too much to bear. But it was nothing compared to what he felt when the wall started rearranging itself and became a passageway leading to a lane full of…the weirdest things Dudley had ever seen. Rodney and Emily gasped in delight but Dudley was now feeling very, _very_ queasy and slightly dizzy.

"This is Diagon Alley. We can buy everything on your uniform list from here," Harry said.

Rodney grabbed Dudley's arm and started pulling him forward jabbering on about something or the other. This was too much.

_This was too much._

-

Rodney was pulling Dudley along showing him all sorts of things that Dudley had hoped to never see in his life. Owls were hooting, sparks were flying from a small shop in the corner and children were crowding around what looked like a broomstick.

_Too much._

Dudley couldn't focus on anything. Everything was swimming in front of his eyes. He felt sick.

"Dad, look at all these things! What's that over there?" Rodney squeaked.

Ron looked over. "Baby flobberworms," he answered wrinkling his nose.

Dudley looked over and saw a bucket full of wriggly maggot-like creatures and gulped. That was uncalled for disgustingness.

"Do I get to buy a wand? This is so cool!"

"Yes," Harry replied. "But first we have to exchange your pounds for wizarding money. That's Gringotts ahead. The wizarding bank. It's run by goblins."

"_Goblins_?" Dudley spluttered.

Harry nodded.

Emily and Rodney had already gone forward with Ron, staring in awe at the marble building. Dudley saw his father's puce face in his head and knew it was time to speak his mind. He caught up with the rest of the group and before he could change his mind he said the words he had been thinking for a long time.

"Rodney, I don't want you to go to Hogwarts."

Dudley said it a bit louder than necessary and people in the vicinity turned around to give him odd looks. However, there was a stunned silence from Rodney and Emily. Ron looked at Dudley as though he was crazy and Harry just sighed.

"Is this a joke, Dudley?" Emily demanded to know.

"No. I don't want Rodney to have anything to do with these people and their freaky ways," Dudley said, old prejudices returning.

"_These people_? _Freaky_?" Ron's ears had gone bright red and he looked murderous.

"Dad, that is so unfair!" Rodney yelled. "I want to go!"

Dudley shook his head. "I don't think you should."

Rodney stared at him as though he'd seen him for the first time. Then he turned on his heel and ran away. Dudley looked at Emily.

"Emily, you–"

"Don't talk to me, Dudley. Talk to your son," she said coldly.

Dudley looked at all of them. Every pair of eyes were glaring at him accusingly.

Why him? Why did he have to have a famous wizard as his cousin? And why did his son have to be magical too? He could not take this.

He turned around and walked away in the opposite direction to where Rodney had gone.

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**A/N **Ahhh, poor Rodney. And poor Dudley. Trained to hate magic and unable to forget. But can he hide away his narrow-mindedness for his son? Find out next time on _A Very Unexpected Letter - Chapter Four_. And until then: review. Please. :D


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N** Sorry it's been so long since I last posted! But school has begun again and I'm being loaded with homework (as usual). It's a lot harder to find time to write. But anyway, I hope you like the chapter!

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Chapter Four

Dudley stomped away, sweat trickling down the back of his neck. He tramped through the little pub he had been in hardly five minutes ago, knocking over a tiny man on the way who fell to the floor shaking his fists at him. Dudley didn't even notice. He threw the door open and walked on in a trance, his eyes glazed over and mouth slack.

-

However, he hadn't walked a few yards out of the Leaky Cauldron before Harry caught up with him and put a hand on his shoulder, fire in his eyes.

"Follow me," he ordered and Dudley didn't even contemplate disobeying.

Harry led them to a bench under a tree a few meters away and directed Dudley to sit down which he did straight away. Harry sat down next to him stared at him.

"Dudley, I don't know what happened there," he sighed. "It was like you went through a spell-"

Dudley winced when he heard the 'magical' word.

"-a _phase_," Harry corrected. "A phase of madness. And then instead of trying to sort it out you just flew-"

Dudley choked.

"-just _ran_," Harry corrected again. "You just ran away. Merlin-"

Dudley flinched but this time Harry ignored him.

"-I've never seen you move that fast. It was like an _illusion_. One minute you were there and the next, you'd gone. Like _magic_."

It was obvious Harry was teasing Dudley but by this point Dudley had gone as pale as the white brick building behind them and had scooted to the furthest end of the bench. Harry and he were now sitting at opposite ends. Harry grinned evilly at Dudley and just moved closer to him. He erased the smirk off his face and turned serious again.

-

"You know, all these years I've always thought that you had changed," Harry said.

"Mind you, I thought _I_ had changed but here I am, still getting pleasure out of mocking you," but he said this under his breath and Dudley did not hear him.

"I really thought you'd matured when we were seventeen, remember? You…uh...when you were…um…well," Harry shrugged. "…when you were nice to me."

Dudley remembered his parting with Harry.

"But I guess I was wrong," Harry continued. "You haven't changed and you are exactly like your father."

That stung.

Not that he didn't love his parents but Dudley had always taken pride in thinking that he was nothing like either of them.

"I am not like my dad at all."

Harry shook his head. "Yes you are – and you know it."

Dudley glared at him. "I am not."

"Yes you are."

"I am-"

"Dudley," Harry interrupted. "We could argue about this forever but, to tell the truth, this isn't about you – it's about Rodney. The poor kid wants to go to the school. Why won't you let him?"

"He won't fit in there. He has his friends here. He'll realize he's better off in this world," Dudley said although it sounded more like a whine.

Harry took a deep breath.

"I can assure you that that is probably not true. I have introduced many muggle-borns and their parents into the magical world and not one of them has ever refused their child's place at Hogwarts. That is because the kid is usually unhappy with life at that moment. Remember…remember me? I got picked on by the kids and the teachers all the time because of the weird stuff I was able to do."

Dudley pinched his eyes shut and remembered his Year Three teacher's wig turning blue and flying off his head after Harry had been told off.

"You really need to make a decision, mate. What are you going to pick: what's right or what is easy?"

Dudley ignored him.

"What would I tell my parents? And the neighbours – they would want to know where Rodney's gone. And also, I'd miss him," Dudley whimpered.

"Dudley, listen to me," said Harry, losing his patience. "This. Is. Not. About. You."

They stared at each other for a minute until Harry sighed.

"Your son ran into Flourish and Blotts I think. Go talk to him."

Dudley stared at Harry and then nodded grimly.

-

The door to Flourish and Blotts creaked open and the silhouette of a large man plodded in. A flash of red hair later, Dudley was stalking up towards Ron.

"You!"

Ron turned around. "Me?"

"Yeah, you. Where's my son?"

Rodney turned around. "I'm right here, Dad."

"I need to talk to you."

Ron coughed and made to leave but Rodney shook his head.

"Whatever you want to say to me you can say in front of Uncle Ron," he said coldly.

Dudley's eyes popped out his head as he stared at Ron.

"Uncle? He's only known you for half an hour!"

Ron blushed. "Well, we _are_ related. Technically. Distantly and not by blood. But still…related."

He turned even redder and excused himself from the little corner he had managed to get himself in.

-

Dudley and Rodney were sitting on a table outside an ice cream shop in Diagon Alley.

"We need to talk, son," Dudley sighed.

Rodney grunted and angrily bit into his ice cream. His eyes bulged and he started coughing it up. Dudley thumped his back.

"Never bite ice cream, Rodders," Dudley said. "More often than not, it'll be cold."

Rodney glared at his half-eaten ice cream.

"Anyway, we should discuss this before we make any rash decisions," Dudley carried on.

Rodney stared at him. "Why didn't you bring this up before? We had a whole week before coming here! You didn't say anything!"

"I know, I know. I was scared," Dudley admitted ashamedly.

Rodney carried on frowning at him.

"Do you really want to go, son? Wouldn't you miss us?"

"Of course, I would. But I really think I would be better off at Hogwarts," Rodney insisted.

"But, what about all your friends? Don't you want to go to secondary school with them?"

"What friends?" Rodney asked.

Dudley frowned. Rodney's face lightened as comprehension decided to dawn.

"They're not really friends. No one at school likes me 'cause I can do… bizarre things. Bizarre things which I now know are magic."

Dudley looked confused. Rodney put his head in his hands.

"Last week, at lunch time, I asked the dinner lady for peas but she gave me carrots. And I got really mad because I hate carrots."

Dudley nodded remembering Rodney's loathing for the orange, spiky vegetables.

"And suddenly, all the pots and pans on the table next to her shot up and fell on top of her. She was really scared. I knew it was my fault but no one else did. They thought that she must have some magnetic force in her."

Rodney snorted.

"The thing is, Dad, if I don't learn to control and use my magic in the right way I'll end up hurting someone. And I'll be an outcast for the rest of my life."

"No-"

"Yes, I will. Do you _understand_? I _need_ to go there. _Do you understand?_"

And Rodney glared at Dudley with more passion than Dudley had ever seen and he just had to get away from his son.

-

Dudley stared at his son from a distance. When had he suddenly grown up? When had he learnt to make decisions on his own and understand what was right for him? It was happening too fast.

_He couldn't understand it_.

All his childhood, Dudley had wished he could stay a child forever. He never wanted to grow up. But Rodney did.

_He couldn't understand it._

And Harry had. Harry had wanted nothing more to break away from the magical and blood chains that bound him to the Dursley family. A family who didn't appreciate, or even try to appreciate him. Dudley started to wonder if his son was anything like him at all.

_He couldn't understand it._

Yes, they both had the same nose and mouth and ears but they were completely different. Rodney was more like his uncle. Dudley sighed and thought of Harry. He remembered his mother's eyes as they had bulged when she told Harry that his mother had been a freak. And his father's scrunched up face when he told that giant, hairy man with the pink umbrella that Harry would not go to that school. Dudley could still remember that scrawny little boy whom he had bullied and who had lost the light in his eyes all those years ago. And he also saw his cousin for the man that he had become. A million times greater than anyone – including Dudley – had ever thought he could be. And if that school and those people – so different from himself – could create miracles like that maybe they could help a small, not-very-confident, little boy?

Dudley finally could understand.

-

Dudley strolled into Gringotts bank and instantly found his wife and son sitting in a corner with his cousin. He walked up to them.

"I've made my decision," he announced.

Harry stood up while Emily glared at Dudley and Rodney stared at the floor, refusing to make eye-contact.

"I thought it over. It doesn't seem to me that keeping you here with us-" he gestured to himself and Emily. "-would do anyone any good. You're like your mother. And if I know my wife at all I know that even if I forbid you to go to..." he gulped. "Hogwarts, you will still find a way to get yourself there. Nothing I say really matters in this family anyway," he said without a hint of bitterness but with a smirk.

"What are you saying, Dudley?" Emily asked eyes wide.

"I'm saying: yes. You can go to Hogwarts."

'_Not that it would matter even if I said he couldn't,' _Dudley thought, amused.

Emily started to speak but her words were drowned out by her son's excited squeal.

"Gosh, Rodney. I didn't know your voice could go that high," Dudley said, laughing, as he pulled his son towards him and ruffled his hair.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked around to see Harry smiling.

"Remember what I said earlier?" He asked.

Dudley remembered:

'"_You really need to make a decision, mate. What are you going to pick: what's right or what is easy?"'_

He nodded.

"It's not easy; but that was the right answer mate."

Harry grinned. And then Dudley cracked a smile too.

* * *

**A/N** Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed. There will probably be one more chapter and then the story will be over. Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N** Well, this is it. This is the last chapter. Once again, I really hope you like it and I hope you've enjoyed the whole story. Thanks for sticking round for the ride. I really appreciate all the reviews and give a big thanks to everyone who has reviewed and will review. It's short (and sweet hopefully) and it's the final one: enjoy.

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Chapter Five

The day was sunny and warm - quite unusual for September. The Dursley family were on platform 9 ¾. The train was getting ready to leave and the platform was _packed. _Parents were hugging their children while giving them lectures about the importance of good behaviour and safety. Owls were hooting, cats were meowing, toads were croaking.

"The whole place was just one big muddle of people, animals and bloody suitcases," Dudley muttered as he tripped over one.

The smell of the Hogwarts Expresses' fumes and the numerous animal droppings were heightened by the heat and the reek was fast becoming overpowering.

-

Dudley spotted the Weasley and Potter clan at the other end of the station with Rodney and Emily. The children were talking to Rodney and were obviously getting him excited about Hogwarts. He was practically jumping up and down. It was quite embarrassing really. But Dudley didn't share his enthusiasm. All he could feel was the dull pain in his chest. This was the last time he would see his son until _Christmas_. There was so much he needed to say to him: do all your homework; get lots of sleep; don't talk to anyone who looks dodgy; if you lose your wand in a fight remember your boxing techniques (jab, cross, uppercut); and eat well. So many things floated in and out of his thoughts as he saw Harry's son tell a joke that sent Rodney into fits of laughter. It all seemed hazy to Dudley. As if this moment was a dream. As if it wasn't real. But it was. And it _hurt_.

-

The Hogwarts Express blew its warning whistle indicating that the students had all of two minutes to get on board. The Weasley and Potter children said their last goodbyes as their parents hugged them repeatedly. Emily was kissing Rodney's cheeks over and over again which was obviously embarrassing him.

"Take – care," she said in between each kiss. "Work – hard," she grabbed his shoulders and held him away from her. "And don't you dare get into any fights."

The look on her face would have scared a mountain troll. Rodney gulped and nodded quickly.

"Good boy, Rodders," Emily said, giving him one last hug before pushing him towards Dudley.

"Hey, son," Dudley started.

There were so many things he wanted to say. It was all swimming through his head and on the tip of his tongue as Rodney gazed up at him expectantly. Dudley opened his mouth to relay all of his thoughts when they all vanished and he realized he could sum them up in a simple sentence:

"I love you, son."

"I love you too, Dad," said Rodney beaming up at him.

Dudley hugged him hard – maybe a little too hard as Rodney started choking – and then waved goodbye to him as his only son boarded the train which would transport him into another world – a world in which Dudley could not follow. The train hissed and the doors closed. The wheels started moving and hundreds of children stuck their hands out of the windows and waved to their parents who waved back just as hard. Rodney was among them, his eyes glistening.

-

Dudley put his arm around his wife's shoulders and kissed her cheek as the Hogwarts Express turned the corner.

"He's really gone," she whispered. "Our son – he's actually flown the nest."

"I know," Dudley hushed. "And things will never be the same again. _He_ will never be the same again."

He hadn't cried in over thirty years but he smiled as a lone tear slid down his cheek.

And Dudley, being the father he was, _understood_.

And accepted.

The End

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**A/N **Please review and tell me what you thought of the story. I might write a couple of one-shots about the Dursleys as Rodney grows older and learns more magic but probably not for a little while. This was quite a hard story for me to write because it is not usually the kind of thing I write or read. I usually read fanfictions with romance in them and writing a fic about a father's feelings about his son growing up was quite hard. But anyway, thanks to everyone who stayed with me, reading this from beginning to end. It's means a lot to me. Thank you so much all you wonderful reviewers! This story wouldn't have carried on if it wasn't for you!

123-say-cheese


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